There is a rock in Bedford (Bedford was once part
of Billerica and Concord before it was formed
as a town of its own) off of the Middlesex Turnpike where once stood the house of Billerican Amos Wyman
who gave refuge to Samuel Adams and John Hancock during the American
Revolution. The
building is number 55 and the rock's in back of the upper parking
lot. There is a little path that
leads to the rock - go straight and then turn right. This is where
Amos Wyman once lived.
During the American Revolution on April 19,
1775, Samuel Adams and John Hancock were in Hancock's
childhood home in Lexington, MA, when Paul Revere rode up to the homestead during the night and
warned the two that
the British were in Lexington and Concord and that the battle had
started. At first,
John Hancock
did not want to go into hiding, he wanted to join the battle until Sam
Adams talked him out of it
by saying: 'We are now of the cabinet and that's where our
priorities lie. Let those who
are fighting now, do the fighting.' Reluctantly John agreed.
They left the house and traveled to
Woburn (which at one time was a border town of Billerica). Something
must've happened there
to make them feel they were still not safe from the British so they moved
on. This time
they went to Amos' house in Billerica.
The British had wanted these two men
badly. King George III had tried to get the two of them to
bring them over to England to face trial for inciting this revolt of the
colonies towards England. It
is likely that if they had been sent back to England and faced trial, they
would've been found
guilty of treason and hung. It's no wonder these two were in hiding!
Below are pictures of what's left of the Amos
Wyman homestead. Not much, as can plainly be
seen by the pictures. Unfortunately the house did not survive these
years as some other
American Revolution historical places have. All we have here are
bits of the foundation of his
house and the memorial rock telling of the incident. |
